Mail-chute



F. J. WUESTHOFF.

MAIL CHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.1, Isla.

2 SHE 14,855.

Reissued May 4, 1920.

F31. WUESTHFF.

. MAIL CHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- |916. Relssued May 4, 1920. 14,855.

2 SHEETS*SHEET 2.

UNrTED sf'rnrss PATENT FFCE FREDERICK J. WUESTHOFF, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MAILING DEVICE CORPORATIONOFNEW YORK.

MAIL-CHUTE.

'San Francisco and State of California, have made certain new and useful Improvements in l\/Iail-Chutes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in mail chutes, and has for its object to pro 7ide a chute of the character specified, adapted for installation in buildings and apartment houses, or like buildings, wherein the chute is'so arranged that the mail matter thrown therein will move from the top to the bottom without stoppage or checking, and wherein the doors are arranged in such manner that they will oifer no hindrance to the movement of the mail matter, and wherein the chute is of such construction that it occupies but a small amount of space.

A further object is to provide certain improved features in the construction of a door to coperate with the body of the chute.

A further object of the invention is to providev an'improved lock for the doors.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of the improved chute, Figs. 2, 3 and -LL are sections on the lines 2--2, 3--3 and fle-4, respectively, of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a sectional vieuT of a door lock, Fig. 6 is a front view of one of the doors, Fig. 7 is a top plan view of Fig. 6, Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial front view of the letter drop, Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a vertical section of Fig.'8.

In the present embodiment of the invention the body of the chute is of metal pressed 'or otherwise shaped to form, the

chute being elliptical or oblong in cross section, as shown, and the said chute is composed of consecutive or superposed sections. The lowermost section 1 of the chute is provided with a base 2, and the upper end of the said section is flaring, as shown at 3 in Fig. 3. The lower ends of the succeeding sections 1`nare reduced and tapering, as shown at 4, to iit within the upper Haring ends 3 of the preceding sections.

A collar 5 encircles the meeting ends of the sections, each collar having its outer surface smooth and vertical, while its inner surface is frustoconical, or tapering as Specification of Ressued Letters Patent. Reissud lay 4 1920.

Original No. 1,124,095, dated January 5, 1915, Serial No. 804,198, filed December 2,1913.

` reissue led August 1, 1916.

Application for Serial No. 112,533.

shown, to fit the flaring upper end 3 of the lower section. A second collar 6 encircles the lower portion of the upper section, and the lower edge ofthe collar 6 is designed to seat on the upper edge of the collar 5 immediately below. `At the front of the chute each of the collars 5 is provided with a. notch or recess 7 onr its under edge, and each collar 6 is :provided with a similar notch or recess Son its upper edge, the recess 8 being directly above the recess 7.

Each section 1a has a door opening at its front, and each door opening is designed to be closed by a door. Each of the said doors comprises a substantially rectangular frame 9, and each of the door openings 1() is of lesser area than the frame, so that the frame iits on the outer face of the chute at the door opening around the same. The door frames are of greater length or height than the openings, and extend above and below the respective openings.

It will be noted that the side members of each of the door frames are of channel material (Fig. 4:), the channel opening inwardly, and the inner edge of the inner wall of the channel of each frame is bent'laterally at an angle to the body portion, as shown at 11, to fit within the door opening, while the wall itself `its against the outer face of the chute, within a'rib 12. The free edge of the outer wall of the channel of each frame is also bent inwardly, as shown at 13, and the sheet 121 of glass or other transparent material arranged within the frame is held between the portions 11 and 13 of .the channel walls.

It willbe noted that the side edges of and the portions 13 ofthe frame bear against the outer face of the glass, so that the glass is held between lthe side walls of the channel. Each door frame 9 is provided at each side with three laterally extending lugs 15, the said lugs being near the ends and `intermediate the ends of the sides, and each lug is designed to engage a clip or catch, secured to the chute wall at the side of the door opening, to hold the doors in place. Each of the clips or catches'is vertical and consists of two portions 16 and 17 offset laterally from each other, the portion 17 of each clipbeing secured to the casing wall or linger piece 19, and at each of its ends/ each door frameis provided with a laterally extending lug 29, the lugs 20 at adjoining ends of neighboring door frames registering with the interposed lug 19 of the collar 5. The lug 19 of each coliar 5 is provided with an upstanding catch or lug 21 on its upper 'Y face and near the face of the adjacent collar 6, and the lugs 19, 20 and 21 vare designed to be engaged by a fastening or latching means to hold the door in place.

Each fastening means is in the form of a plate 22 having an opening 23 on its inner face for receiving the lug 29 at the bottom of the door of one section, .and a recess or opening 24 near its lower end for receiving the lug 2() at the upper end of the door of the preceding section. The plate is also provided with a recess or opening 25 between the recesses or openings 23 and 24 for receiving the lug 19 of thecollar 5 between the door frames of adjacent sections.

A lock of any usual or desired construction, as for instance a Yale lock, has its barrel, bolt, or like member 28 mounted to turn in the plate 22, between the recesses 23 and 25, and a key 26 is provided for operating the lock. The plate 22 thus forms a casing for the lock. The key is provided with the usual finger piece 27, and the barrel, bolt, or like member 28n of the lock has a lug 28 at its inner end which is adapted to engage behind the catch or lug 21 on the lug 19. lVhen it is desired to lock the doors, the plate 22 is placed with the lugs 2O engaging the recesses 23 and 24. T he key is then nserted in the lock and turned until the lug 28 engages behind the lug 21. lVhen the key is removed the plate is held in place by the engagement of the lugs 21-28, and the doors are held by the engagement of the lugs 2O with the recesses 23 and 24. The lugs 2O thus serve as a means for permitting the doors to be latched to the collar 5, and in addition the saidlugs serve as a means Yfor lifting the doors t'o disengage them from the catches or clips 16-17. The plate 22 is a cap, being of a length approximately equal to the width of the doors. Where the chute passes through a floor, a section 11 of uniform cross section is used, and the said section may be of any desired length, and a collar 29 is arranged on the said section for ,engaging the ceiling to make a smooth neat fit. The collar is slidable on the section, and

at the front and sides of the casing the collar is arched or bent outwardly, the lower edge of the collar fitting the section, while as shown at 30 in Figs. 1 and 2.

A screw 31 is threaded through the collar, I

at the front of the chute and near the upper edge of the collar, and the inner end of the screw bears against the front wall of the chute, to hold the collar in adjusted position. A strap 32 is provided at the arched out portion of the collar, the said strap `fitting the chute closely, and the screw 31 is also threaded through an opening in the strap. The collar 29 may thus be adjusted to bring the upper edge thereof closely against the ceiling. The head of the screw 31 is countersunk, so that thel outer face thereof is flush with the face of the collar.

The letter drop shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 is arranged in the iirst section of the chute at a height from the floor in accordance with the regulation of the Post Ofiice Department. The said drop consists of a casing 33 whose outer face is substantially rectangular, as shown, and the said outer face is depressed, as shown, at 34, to receive a removable card containing information in regard to the times of collection. The card fits in the depression and the casing is arranged within an opening 35 in the front wall of the chute section. The opposite faces of the casing are inclined with respect to each other, the inner face 34 meeting the outer face 34 at an acute angle at the top of the casing. yThe casing 33 is so arranged with respect to tlie chute that the outer wall is spaced outwardly from the front face of the chute section, and the upper edge of the casing where the inner and outer walls meet at an angle is spaced away in front of the chute wall to provide a passageway 37 for the letters. A leaf or iiap 36 is hinged to the chute wall, as indicated at 38, to close the passage 37 when desired, and the outer edge of the said leaf or iap is adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the casing The leaf or flap extends inwardly beyond its pivotal connection 38, as shown in Fig. 10, and when the flap or leaf is closed, this extended portion engages beneath the sheet 39 of glass, closing the front of the chute section above the letter drop.

The flap may be held closed by means of a locking lever 40' pivoted intermediate its ends, as indicated at 41 to the wall 42 of the chute section. The upper end of the lever is provided with a lateral lug and the said upper end engages beneath the' extended portion ofthe flap, to prevent lifting of the outer edge of the flap. It will be understood joint between the sections.

ing should repairs be necessary at the fifth floor the post master will close the letter drops above the fifth until the repairs are complete. It will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 10 that the lug 43 of the lever 40 is of such length that when the outer edge of the flap 36 is swung up until the rib contacts with the element 39, which is the front of the chute, the said lug will engage behind the inner edge of the flap and will hold the flap lifted. lVhen it is desired to close the flap under the conditions stated the lever 40 is swung to one side to release the flap and it is closed. To either open or close the flap 36, the panel or casing 33 is removed to permit access to the lever. After the flap has been placed in desired position the panel is replaced. Then it is desired to lift the flap, the lever is swung to disengage the upper end thereof from the flap, after which the flap may be opened, and may he held open by swinging the lever toward the extended edge of the flap of the chute wall 42.

The casing 33 is mounted in a frame 45 having .side members of channel material and having the channel opening inwardly. The free edge of the inner wall of the channel is bent' at an angle to the body thereof, as shown at 46, and the casing 33 is provided with a marginal rib 44 which is received between the walls of the channel of the frame. The ribs 44 are rabbeted on their inner Ifaces to fit the rear wall of the channel and the portion 46, as indicated at 47, and the rear wall of the channel is traversed by screws 48 which engage in the rear face of the rib 44. The free edge of the front wall of the channel is bent, as shown at 49 to bear against the front face of the rib 44 at the junction of the said rib with the casing. Thus the casing is held firmly in place within the frame.

Theplain section 1b, before mentioned, is connected to the next lower section by means of a collar 50. The said collar at the rear of the chute is extended downwardly, as shown at 51 in Fig. 2, and the extension is provided with openings 52 for receiving screws or the like to connect the collar to a wall. At all joints with the chute the upper member of the joint extends inwardly beyond the lower member, as shown for instance in Fig. 10, where the sheet 39 extends inwardly beyond the chute wall 42, and the lower end of the casing 33 extends inwardly beyond the sheet 53 of glass arranged below the drop.

It will be noted that where the chute passes through a floor, there is a collar 29 below the floor, and a base 2 above the floor, The base 2 may be separate from the chute, fitting over the chute in the same manner as the collar 29. Intermediate the upper and lower faces of the oor is found the The base 2 resembles the collar 29, in that it fits the chute closely at one end, the other end being offset outwardly away from the chute at the front thereof. At the rear of the chute the base fits the chute closely from one end of the base to the other, in the same manner as the collar 29. The base at the outwardly offset portion maybe arranged in the same manner as the collar, as shown in Fig. 2, having a strap for engaging the front of the chute.

I claim:

1. A mail chute comprising consecutive sections, each preceding section having its upper end flaring, and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to lit within the flaring upper end of the preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each preceding section at the flaring portion, each collar having a lug at the front of the chute, the sections having openings in their fronts, and door frames fitting outside of the openings, each door frame having a lug at each end, and a fastening means for the adjacent frames at the junction of the sections, each of the said fastening means comprising a plate having re-v cesses in its inner lface for receiving the lug of the collar and the lugs at the lower end of the next upper door and at the upper end of the next lower door, the lug of the collar having an upstanding catch on its upper face, the fastening means comprising a barrel or bolt mounted to rotate in the casing and having a lug for engaging behind the catch and adapted to be operated by a kev.

2. A mail chute comprising consecutive sections, each preceding section having its upper end flaring, and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to fit within the flaring upper end of the preced ing section, a collar encircling the upper end of each preceding section at the flaring portion, the sections having door openings in their fronts, door frames for closing the openings, the sections having catches and the door frames having lugs for engaging the catches to hold the doors in place, each door frame having a lateral lug at each of its ends, and each collar having a lug at the front thereof and registering with the lugs of the adjacent door frames, a lock casing having recesses for receiving the lugs of the collar and the adjacent lugs of the door frames, and a member journaled in the casing and having means for engaging one of the lugs to lock the casing in place.

3. A mail chute comprising consecutive sections, each preceding section having its upper end flaring, and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to fit within the flaring upper end of the preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each preceding section at theflaring portion, the sections having door openings in their fronts, door frames for closing the openings, the sections having catches and the door frames having lugs for engaging the catches to hold the doors in place, each door frame having a lateral lug at each of its ends, and each collar having a lug at the front thereof and registering with the lugs of the adjacent door frames, and locking means for engaging the lug of the collar and the adjacent' lugs of the door frames to lock said door frames to the lugs.

4. A mail chute comprising consecutive sections, each preceding section having its upper end flaring, and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to fit within the flaring upper end of the preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each section at the flaring portion,

the sections having door openings in their fronts, door frames for closing the openings, the sections having catches and the door frames having lugs for engaging the catches to hold the doors in place, and a fastening means for engaging the collar and the adja cent ends of the adjacent door frames to hold the said door frames in place.

5. A mail chute comprising consecutive sections, each preceding section having its upper end flaring, and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to lit within the flaring upper end of the preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each section at the flaring portion, and a second collar encircling the lower portion of each succeeding section and abutting the upper edge of the first-named collar.

6. A mail chutey comprising sections arranged one above the other, each-preceding section having its upper end flaring and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to fit within the preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each section at the flaring portion, a collar seated on the lower portion of each succeeding section and abutting the collar of the preceding section, sundry of the sections having door openings, and door frames for closing the openings, said frames being of greater length than the openings and extending above and below the openings, each frame having lugs at its end, and the'firs't-named collar having a lug between the lugs of adjacent doors, and fastening means engaging the lug of each collar and the adjacent lugs of the adjacent doors for holding the doors in place.

7. AA mail chute comprising sections arranged one above the other, each preceding section having its upper end flaring and each succeeding section having its lower end tapering to fit within thepreceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each section at the flaring portion, a collar seated on the lower portion of each succeeding sec tion and abutting the collar of the preceding section.

8. A mail chute comprising sections arranged one above the other, each succeeding section having the interior surface of the lower end thereof nearer the center of said chute than the inner surface of the upper end of the preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each preceding section and adjacent the lower end of the neXt section, said collar having a lug at the front-of the chute, the sections having openings in their sides and door frames fitting outside of the openings, said door frames having lugs at the adjacent ends thereof, and a fastening means comprising a lock casing having recesses in its inner face for receiving the lug of the collar, and the lugs at the adjacent ends of said door frames, and a lock contained in said casing and having means for engaging vand holding the lug of said collar.

9. A mail chute comprising sections arranged one above the other, each succeeding section having the interior surface of the lower end thereof nearer the center of the chute than the interior surface of the upper end of the adjacent preceding section, a collar encircling the upper end of each preceding section, the sections having door openings in their fronts, door frames for closing the openings, the sections having vertical catches and the door frames having lateral lugs for` engaging said catches to hold the doors in place, whereby a vertical movement of said door frames is necessary to remove them, and fastening means engaging the col-l lar andthe adjacent ends of the adjacent door frames to hold the said door frames in place.

10. A mail chute comprising sections arranged oneabovethe other, each succeeding section having the interior surface of the lower end thereof nearer the center of the chute than the interior surface of the upper end of the adjacent preceding section, means for connecting adjacent sections, the sections having door openings in their fronts, door frames for closing the openings, the sections having vertical catches and the door frames having lugs for engaging the catches to hold the .doors in place, whereby a vertical movement of said door frame is necessary to remove them, and fastening means for engaging the said sections and the adjacent ends of the adjacent door frames to hold the said door frames in place.

In testimony whereof, I'have aixed my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK J.' wuEsTHo-iir.

lVitnesses i R. L. HUSTED, B. F. EMERY. 

